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01-01-2017 | Short Communication

Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus ventralis intermedius: a thalamic site of graviceptive modulation

Authors: Bernhard Baier, Thomas Vogt, Franziska Rohde, Hannah Cuvenhaus, Julian Conrad, Marianne Dieterich

Published in: Brain Structure and Function | Issue 1/2017

Abstract

Based on animal studies, it has been shown that the nucleus ventralis intermedius (VIM) of the thalamus plays an important role within the vestibular system. A few human studies support the vestibular role of the VIM. In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis whether changing the stimulation status in patients with unilateral deep brain stimulation in the VIM causally modulates the vestibular system, i.e., the graviceptive vertical perception. We tested six tremor patients for tilt of subjective visual vertical (SVV) with unilateral DBS in the VIM (mean age 67 years; mean time since electrode implantation 55 months). The mean tilt of the patients during the stimulator “on” condition was 1.4° to the contraversive side [standard deviation (SD) ± 0.4°] whereas during the “off” period a mean contraversive tilt of 4.4° (SD ± 3.0°) was obtained (p = 0.02). Thus, we were able to show that otolith-dominated graviceptive vertical perception can be directly modulated by changing the status of DBS VIM stimulation, indicating that the VIM is directly involved in (contraversive) vertical perception and its thalamic pathways.

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Title: Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus ventralis intermedius: a thalamic site of graviceptive modulation
Authors: Bernhard Baier
Thomas Vogt
Franziska Rohde
Hannah Cuvenhaus
Julian Conrad
Marianne Dieterich
Publication date: 01-01-2017
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Brain Structure and Function / Issue 1/2017
Print ISSN: 1863-2653
Electronic ISSN: 1863-2661
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-015-1157-x

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Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus ventralis intermedius: a thalamic site of graviceptive modulation

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